Living our choices

The selection of texts in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today puts the life and death choice of Deuteronomy, a powerful theme on the spiritual journey, before us again in this joyful season of Lent. The context of the passage from the Book of Jeremiah, according Friar Jude Winkler, is the time just before the Exile. The people of Judah are feeling the heat of imminent political collapse of their society. The choice to trust in the direction in their heart from the resonance of their Spirit with the Divine Spirit is the path in the direction of the will of God. This direction will prevent the choice of devious action and betrayal which will lead to dependance on self serving motivation and ultimate isolation. The psalmist describes the life of the tree planted close to the stream which can stretch in the direction of nourishment and growth. We are advised to bloom where we are planted. Our life and fruit bearing comes from our direction toward the life giving stream of the Will of God.  The Gospel of Luke uses the blindness of the rich man to the condition of Lazarus to indicate how this disregard of those in need will move us toward the isolation from others that weakens our intimacy with God. As we choose to be more and more detached from the will of God for us to be intimate communion with the Divine our lives spiral down to the desolation fitting to our decision to trust in our own vision of the good life in which the consequences of our self serving choices are spiritual death.